Friday, January 28, 2011

Which romantic comedies and tear-jerking dramas from 2010 made the top movies list? If sappy or silly love stories are your thing, the top romantic films of 2010 will give you plenty to love.

Movies with a romantic theme are among some of the most popular films every year and 2010 is no different. From hysterical comedies like “The Bounty Hunter” and “The Back Up Plan” to tear-jerkers like “Dear John”, romantic movies abound in 2010. There’s even an entry with a supernatural twist. SO pop the popcorn, snuggle with your cuddle partner or grab the comforter and the box of tissues and sit back with some of the best romantic films of 2010.

“When in Rome” – Kristen Bell of “Heroes” fame stars as a young woman who doesn’t believe in love. She flies to Italy to attend her sister’s wedding and meets someone special (Josh Duhamel). When she sees a woman fawning over him at a fountain purported to grant wishes to the lovelorn, she is crushed and climbs into the fountain. She selects 5 coins from the fountain, declaring she will spare these individuals the disappoint that comes from hoping for love by removing the coins they used to make their wishes. Almost immediately she is inexplicably pursued by all sorts of men, including the man of her dreams. Believing him to be under the fountain’s spell, she rejects him and nearly destroys her chance of happiness.

“Bounty Hunter” - Gerard Butler and Jennifer Aniston are a divorced couple, she a reporter chasing an explosive story, he a bounty hunter on her tail for failure to appear in court over an assault charge. She tries to outwit and out run him at every turn. His heart was so broken when she left him that turning her in is the perfect justice. Along the way, they learn a few things about one another and see each other in a different light.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Top ten romance movies that are sure to make you reach for the tissues.

When a romantic movie makes you cry, it has touched a place in your heart that holds your dreams, your memories, your most tender thoughts. Valentine’s Day can be a time to reach into that soft, gooey place and get in touch with our feelings and these movies will help you do just that. I picked these because they are my personal favorites, each guaranteed to your tear ducts well up.

Tear Jerker Romance Movie #10: The Horse Whisperer

A terrible accident leaves a teenage girl and the horse she loves traumatized. The girl’s mother, Annie,takes them to Montana to see the “horse whisperer”, a man who reportedly has a gift for communicating with horses. Annie’s time on the ranch opens her eyes to a different, quieter world where life isn’t all about schedules and cell phones. She falls in love with the horse whisperer, a man with emotional scars of his own and must choose between her husband and family and a life that calls to her from an inner place, a place she longs to share with the horse whisperer. Robert Redford is divinely understated and Kristin Scott Thomas undergoes a brilliant transformation from uptown chic to down home girl. Sam Neill tugs at your heart strings as the devoted husband who comes to realize he may be losing the best thing that’s ever happened to him. A young Scarlett Johansson also stars. PG-13, 1998, 168 mins.

Tear Jerker Romance Movie #9: Ghost

Even more tragic now that the world has lost Patrick Swayze, Ghost tells the story of Sam and Molly, ayoung couple deeply in love who are torn apart by Sam’s seemingly random murder. Sam is unwilling to leave Molly and stays in his ghostly form but is unable to communicate with her until he discovers the services of Oda Mae Brown, a psychic. With her help, he works to discover why he was killed and to protect Molly. The final minutes of the movie when the two are briefly reunited is one of the moments that will make you cry no matter how many times you see it. Demi Moore and Whoopi Goldberg, who won her Oscar for the role, round out the cast.PG-13, 1990, 127

Monday, January 24, 2011

Movies about older couples in love or finding love are a natural for Valentine's Day viewing.

Older audiences enjoy many of the same things younger audiences do, including a little romance now and then. The difference is mature viewers, like their counterparts in the films, have experienced many of life’s stages and are looking for something with a little deeper meaning or a little levity that pokes fun at life. These are among my favorite romances featuring somewhat older characters or stars.

Mature Romance #5 Murphy’s Romance – Starring James Garner and Sally Field, Murphy’s romance finds Emma relocating to a new town with her son to start life over after a divorce. Shaken and unsure of herself, she starts a horse ranch and wants to work as a horse trainer. She also meets Murphy Jones, the town druggist, an older man with a slow and steady disposition. He takes a liking to her and slowly starts wooing her, until her ex turns up and throws things topsy turvy.

Mature Romance #4 It’s Complicated Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin give knockout performances as three people caught up in an unlikely love triangle. Divorced for many years and brought together by their son’s college graduation, Streep and Baldwin find themselves in bed together and having an affair. The tables are turned and she is now the other woman. Martin plays Streep’s other love interest. This comedy is worth seeing and I won’t spoil the ending for you.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Romantic Movies for Valentine's Day for the Slightly Tilted Featuring Quirky Characters

Some of my favorite romance movies feature characters that are a little quirky or slightly mismatched. Why is that? I think it's because I can see a bit of myself in each of them. I'm no saint. I have flaws and quirks. There is something reassuring in knowing that even the oddest duck among us can find a soul mate. Here are my top ten picks for quirky romance movies:

Quirky Romance #1: Benny and Joon, 1993 Benny the mechanic and his mentally ill sister Joon live together in a small town, each without a life of their own until Sam arrives. Sam lives in his own world and patterns himself after silent film star Buster Keaton. Joon and Sam are drawn together and Benny fights to protect his sister from the inevitable pain of relationships. All three characters, aptly played by Johnny Depp, Mary Stuart Masterson and Aidan Quinn, share qualities with me. I am, by turns, protective, independent and whimsical.

Quirky Romance #2: As Good As It Gets, 1997, Jack Nicholson is not my idea of an attractive or romantic fellow but there are times in this movie when he just tears my heart out with his moments of clarity and truth. Struggling with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Melvin Udall lives an organized, patterned life that doesn't allow for change or new people. His gay neighbor Simon Bishop drives him insane and his infatuation with his regular waitress makes him behave completely out of character. The three take a road trip and discover that sometimes what you have is the best life has to offer. Helen Hunt and Greg Kinnear are excellent.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Horror Movies to Look Forward to in 2011

Fans of horror movies have much to look forward to in 2011. Several horror movie franchises have sequels and even a prequel coming out. A remake or two are on the horizon and several new films are poised to scare the pants off of us. Let's take a look at what terror awaits us in 2011

"Season of the Witch" - Nicolas Cage as a medieval Crusader tasked with escorting a witch, believed to have caused the Black Plague which has devastated the country, to an abbey where her powers can be destroyed. The knight, along with several others in his party, battle wilderness and each other over their ideas of what should happen to the girl. What awaits them at the abbey will threaten the knight's pledge to see the girl is treated fairly and facing a foe whose evil could alter the future of the world. Set to open January 7, 2011

"Black Death" - In Hollywood tradition, a second movie is in the works on the theme of the black plague and the supernatural. This horror movie features Sean Bean as Ulric, a monk sent to find out if the rumors of the dead returning to life in a small village are true. Set in England during the onset of the bubonic plague, Ulric discovers the village's ruler may have made a pact with the dark side. Set to open March 11, 2011

Friday, January 7, 2011

Disaster movies allow us to live vicariously though the heroes and heroines as they battle overwhelming odds to survive the worst Mother Nature can throw at them and volcano movies are among the most violent and terrifying.

Most of us don’t live anywhere near a volcano and movies about volcanoes are as close as we will ever get, thankfully. Still, there is something about the sight of an erupting mountaintop and the creeping terror of lava as it engulfs everything it touches in flames, which sets the blood to boiling. These are great popcorn flicks, loaded in most cases with mounting tension and great special effects.

“Volcano” (1997) Tommy Lee Jones and Anne Heche lend their acting talents to this disaster drama set in Los Angeles. A volcano beneath the La Brea Tar Pits unleashes molten fury on the unsuspecting city. The lave displays an almost evil intelligence as it thwarts efforts to stop its progress by resorting to underground tunnels, causing new problems for those trying to contain its destructive energy. As the lava creeps down streets, swallowing (and melting) everything in its path, Mike Roark (Jones) tries to save the city and its population. In spite of the sometimes unbelievable events, “Volcano” sucks you in. Rated PG-13, “Volcano” runs 1 hour, 45 minutes.

“Dante’s Peak” (1007) As is Hollywood’s custom, why do one disaster movie on a theme when two will do just as well. For me, “Dante’s Peak” is the more believable of the 2 stories. Pierce Brosnan plays Harry Dalton, a volcanologist (and no, he doesn’t study Spock and his fellow Vulcans) has already lost a woman he loved to a volcano for not trusting his instincts and getting out in time. Now he’s sent to the remote idyllic town of Dante’s Peak nestled under the shadow of a sleeping volcano to check out some unusual activity. Here he meets Mayor Rachel Wando played charmingly by Linda Hamilton. The two are pulled into the drama as Harry comes to believe Rachel’s little paradise is about to become the next Vesuvius. Excellent special effects and a decent story make “Dante’s Peak” one great volcano movie. Rated PG-13, “Dante’s Peak runs 1 hour, 49 minutes.

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Whether you are happily ensconced in a relationship or just want to be, romantic movies featuring New Year’s Eve bring out the romantic side in all of us.

New Year’s Eve is all about romance and new beginnings and so are these top 5 movies. In some cases the promise of romance on New Year’s Eve is a central point of the movies and in others it is simply a poignant moment. But it is the poignant moments that make life as well as movies memorable. So pop open the cork on thechampagne, curl up on the couch, preferably with a loved one and watch a couple of romantic movies featuring New Year’s Eve, this New Year’s Eve!

“When Harry Met Sally” (1989) - Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal give memorable performances as the title characters in this film about relationships between men and women. Friends for years, the two find themselves finally drawn to one another but fear having sex together would ruin their friendship. The climactic scene takes place on New Year’s Eve as the clock is ticking down to midnight and is a heart-pounding romantic moment that can convert even the most disbelieving person into a romantic soul

“Someone Like You” (2001) Ashley Judd has been jilted by her boyfriend (Greg Kinnear) and her bruised ego wants some answers. Studying the human heart and males in particular, she writes a sex-column and berates the male gender in total. Along the way, she meets the affable Eddie Alden (Hugh Jackman) but doesn’t realize until New Year’s Eve that he’s the one.

About Me

Theresa Leschmann is a freelance writer, movie lover and city girl living on a farm in southern Illinois. She is a frequent contributor to many online content sites and a fledgling novelist. Writing is her livelihood and her passion.